GORDON LIGHTFOOT | Culture
MIXED RESULTS
A 55-year-old IT project manager in Wellington’s public service has been praised for keeping “digital transformation” projects on track, while simultaneously driving away most of the people he works with.
The unnamed manager, currently leading a major system overhaul, has allegedly caused five staff members to quit and scared off one contractor who refused to come on board after hearing his name.
“He’s effective, sure,” said one ex-team member. “But if you’ve ever had him pop up in your Microsoft Teams chat, you know you’re in for a rough time. It’ll be ten messages in a row, all marked urgent, and all asking why you haven’t delivered something you never agreed to in the first place.”
Weekly online stand-ups have become the stuff of legend. “Every Wednesday at 9:30am someone gets thrown under the bus,” said another former colleague. “There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to who gets singled out, it’s just the luck of the draw.”
Insiders say his random outbursts of pressure always seem to coincide with stress coming down from the project’s product owner. “You can tell the second he’s been chewed out upstairs,” one contractor explained. “That’s when the Teams messages hit like rapid-fire. It’s harassment, but with bullet points.”
Despite the trail of scorched earth, senior leadership remains supportive. “He delivers. That’s all we care about,” said one official. “If a few people can’t handle the heat, there are plenty more in the contractor pool.”
The manager himself has dismissed claims of toxicity, telling reporters his style is “direct and efficient.”
Meanwhile, the cupboard of government IT talent is becoming increasingly bare. “People talk,” said one insider. “When his name comes up, the linkedin chats with recruiters seem to go deathly quiet.”
The project itself is on track, but whether there are enough Wellingtonians out there willing to keep working with this guy remains to be seen.
More to come.
